Posted Apr 13, 2012, 6:40 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: East Exchange, Winnipeg
Posts: 1,396
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chrisallard5454
The odd thing is that despite everything I told him, and I told him a lot, he sincerely believes that this is going to be a world class facility.
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Ok, well the results of your communication with him kinda cheesed me off. Not that it will make much of a difference, but here's what I sent him:
Quote:
From: Robert Young
To: sfielding@winnipeg.ca
Hi Scott,
Just wanted to express my disappointment with your alleged unwavering
support of the CanAlta hotel/waterpark proposal on what is perhaps the
highest profile/highest potential but currently unused lot in the downtown.
The lot in question is undoubtedly one of the highest potential lots in the
city. Not just potential for a great community asset, but potential for a
high amount of property tax receipts. What goes in that location should be
something that turns the Forks into a true neighbourhood. It should bridge
the existing gap between the Forks and the rest of downtown, and it should
do that with an atheistically pleasing and very walkable design. I point
you to a 2010 column from the Free Press which illustrates the kind of
potential that lot could have:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/bus...-94806684.html With that in mind, I then point you to a quote from the Free Press today (
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/loc...147282955.html
):
Some members of Winnipeg's *real estate industry*, however, are fuming over
what they describe as a lack of access to the site, which was once sublet
to the Winnipeg Goldeyes and is currently used as a City of Winnipeg
parking lot.
"If that land was in play, why wouldn't they bring it into play for
everyone? *There are many, many things that would deliver greater value for
that land*," said one private-sector real estate expert.
"I'm very, very shocked a high-quality parcel of land is being dedicated to
a water park when there are *clearly better uses, like high-density
residential or an office development. It was never available on the public
market.*" Sounds to me that there is the potential for developers to jump on board if
that lot were to ever become openly available for a residential or
mixed-use purpose. The addition of housing in The Exchange has been highly
successful, and positively contributes to the city's property tax base
while not requiring huge investments in roads/sewers and other services
that are required for every new far flung suburb. The lot in question
could be part of and build on this success.
A 50,000 sq ft waterpark is not 'world class'. It's barely larger than
CanadInns Grand Forks, and my understanding is that there is a waterpark of
similar size in Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Yorkton. And we're going to put
this at The Forks beside the CMHR, the Esplanade Riel, and the Forks
National Historic Site.
This location is ripe for development, but the proposed development is
unlikely to be the right fit for the location, and will almost certainly
not live up to the potential of the location.
Yours truly,
Robert Young
340 Waterfront Drive
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